Rhythm From Within
by Aberdeenchick95
Summary: Lara was new and was partnered with Andy for their school project. He was an ass and she fought back. She had her secrets and pain she fought hard to hide. Andy did too. Together they find that they make more than just good music together. Andy Biersack from Black Veil Brides
1. Chapter 1

Rhythm from Within

The campus was huge. Her friends back home always joked that UCLA was a giant school…but they weren't far off. She was pretty sure she had circled the water fountain at least twice. She glanced at her cell-phone to check the time. _9:19._ "I'm going to be so late…hey!" She mumbled then grabbed a passing girl also on her cellphone. "Could you help me please? I'm trying to find music theory." She explained, clear desperation in her voice.

The girl hung up her phone abruptly and stuffed it into her purse. "Oh sure. I'm going there too. Come on, we're going to be late!" She smiled and pulled the lost girl in the direction of the class. "My name is Gabby by the way." She greeted, holding out her hand.

"I'm Lara. She shook Gabby's hand then both took off in a sprint towards class. The two barley made it into the auditorium when they heard a loud English voice behind them.

"Glad you could make it girls, let's not make a habit of being late to my class please." Gabby and Lara scurried towards the back of the auditorium quickly and quietly. The back row was pretty empty except from the girls and a couple of guys.

"Welcome to music theory. My name is Dr. Fiera. Unlike your other classes, this class takes up two semesters instead of one. Reason for that is pretty simple. Not only will you learn the fundamentals of music such as pitch, harmony and rhythm in my class, you will also dig deep inside yourselves to create your own music." Lara looked up from her notebook she had dug out of her bag. "Yes, inside each of you…I see something special and I will get it out of you by the end of this year." Gabby looked over at Lara nervously and cracked a smirk.

Dr. Jewel continued her lecture over the full ninety minutes. She was hard core. She went fast and detailed and took no prisoners when it came to participation. Luckily, Gabby and Lara evaded her attacks for now and shot out of the auditorium as soon as they were dismissed. The girls met up outside the door and exchanged numbers.

"I know you're new, so at least now, you have one friendly face." Gabby smiled, handing back Lara's phone. Lara looked down at the small girl and smiled. "Let's meet up later tonight at the library yeah? I'll bring the coffee!" And with that, the little Latino girl scurried off to her next class. Lara was left looking over her time card. _Voice diction…?_ She growled inwardly. She should have asked Gabby where to go.

She looked around for some kind of campus map but came up empty. Then she noticed a guy sitting under a shaded oak tree nearby, reading a book. "Excuse me? May I ask you a question?" Lara asked, approaching the leather jacketed man. He didn't answer her but allowed her to approach. "Um…I'm looking for voice diction…could you tell me where that would be?" Her voice wavered slightly at the burning intensity of the guy's blue eyes.

"That doesn't start for at least another hour, I'm sure you can find it by then." He snapped at her suddenly. Lara took a step back slightly but held her ground.

"I'm new here so I don't know this campus at all. I would appreciate it if you could help me." The guy glared back at her and sighed heavily.

"I'm not a tour guide…but go over there and turn right down the hall with the statue. It's the third room." Her growled and went back to reading his book. Lara rolled her eyes and thanked the guy. She pulled out her notebook and walked over to a nearby bench and started scribbling words down to kill time.

About an hour later, the leather jacketed man got up from his shaded spot and left the courtyard. Checking the time, Lara picked up her bag and followed the directions the man had given her so graciously. She found the third room and walked in to see leather jacket sitting in the back again. _That asshole has the same class._ She took her seat next to him to make a point. She narrowed her eyes at him, but he shrugged his shoulders.

"Ok. I'm going to get to the point. This class will teach you how to sing properly and if you already can sing, teach how much your voice can do with techniques. And I will assign partners that you will have for this semester. Outside voices are more honest than your own ears." The class groaned and the professor clapped his hands to silence them. "You had to audition for this class and I have recorded these voices and have paired you up already. When I call your name, raise your hand so your partner can find you."

Lara looked around at the class while the professor called out partnerships. She could tell the sopranos from the altos, the opera singers from the country, and light hearted singers from rough singers. Leather jacket…was a mystery. Lara's own voice was different that's for sure. It was a mix of Amy Lee's from Evanescence to the powerful vibrato of Carrie Underwood's. "Lara? You're paired with Andy Biersack." She looked around the room for the raised hand of her partner and her heart sank when she saw leather jacket raise his hand. _Great._ "Pair up and spend this class period getting to know each other and your voices." The professor explained, checking off names on his clipboard.

Leather jacket, known as Andy, didn't turn to Lara and took to scrapping his pencil against the desk. Lara made a point of being annoyed at him and turned to him quickly. "So? Too good to escort a lady to class?" She spoke, raising her eye brows at him. Andy shook his head at her slowly and continued scratching his pencil. "Excuse me? Can you please talk to me?"

Andy snapped the pencil and scowled at her. He turned to her quickly causing her to flinch. "What? What would you like me to say? Sorry that I didn't walk you to class? Sorry that I'm your partner? What? What would make you happy princess?" Andy's face was cold and empty, his eyes tired; like he was tired of fighting. Lara saw this, she saw the familiar look of unhappiness that she had felt for so long.

"I don't want an apology. Let's just work okay? Talk about our voices or something. If you don't want to talk then fine." Lara sighed, realizing that Andy had an attitude that couldn't be fought with. She was not in the mood to argue and to be honest she didn't have the energy. She pulled out her notebook and started scribbling. Andy narrowed his eyes at her action.

"What you doing there princess?" Andy asked, noting the worn notebook in the girls grasp.

"Writing. Makes me feel better." She snapped. Andy retreated slightly and returned to scraping half the pencil into the desk. The class was full of melodies and laughing as partners got used to one another. Meanwhile, Andy and Lara remained silent and in their own bubbles until the professor dismissed them all.

Lara grabbed her bag and made her way out of the room when the professor stopped her. "Ms. Jewels. Please." He smiled to me. Lara stood in front of him and waited for him to pull out a file on his desk. "I am aware that you're a transfer. From Texas is that right?" Lara nodded. "Why would you transfer with one year left of your major?" Dr. Richards asked, flipping through his files.

"Personal reasons professor. All my paper work is in line and my credits are up to date. I don't see why you need to know why I'm here." Lara explained.

"I just want to know what my students are going through. You'd be surprised how good of an artist you can be depending on your struggles. I've heard your voice, there's pain in there. I can tell." He pointed out, noting Lara's discomfort of his discovery. "Anyway, good luck with your partner. He has something, something you both share. I hope you can both discover it."

"It would help if he'd talk to me without snapping at my throat." Lara mumbled. Professor Richards smirked at her. "What?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Mr. Biersack is a different boy. He used to be so full of life, so chatty. But obviously, what happened changed him over the break."

"What happened to him?" Lara asked, situating her back on her shoulders. Richards sighed heavily and regarded Lara over his spectacles.

"His parents and he were in a horrible car accident over the winter break. He was the only survivor. Terrible thing. Since then…he has changed. I'm worried about him obviously. He has a great career in front of him if he just perseveres. I'm afraid that this traumatic accident is going to affect him in more ways than emotionally."

Lara's heart wrenched at the new information. It all made sense now, his snappy attitude, his resistance to talk, his brooding. "Thank you for telling me. I'll work with him." She whispered, trying to hide her watering eyes. She said goodbye to her professor and retreated to the hallway. She leaned against the wall and let her emotions out. Her tears fell silently, remembering her parents.

"Hey! Lara! Wanna go get that coffee?" Lara heard Gabby call out. Lara wiped her tears away quickly and nodded her head in agreement. Gabby cocked her head to the side but chose to ignore the obvious crying. "How was class?"

"I have to be partnered with this guy for voice who has been through hell. He won't talk to me without snapping at me. It's going to be tough." Lara explained, walking in the direction of the library.  
"He's in our music theory class too."

Gabby narrowed her eyes at Lara. "Leather jacket?" Lara nodded. "Oh. That's Andy. I've known him since tenth grade." Gabby mumbled. She obviously knew the story of Andy's parents. "He used to be awesome."

"I want to make him happy again. I've heard he's changed. He wasn't always an asshole. Maybe I can help?" Lara said, seeing Andy from across the court yard.

"Why you? What would you be able to do?" Lara looked at Andy and could sense the sadness he had. She ignored Gabby's question and sighed heavily. "He was bullied in high school and sometimes here. Poor guy. Well, if you think you can help him, good luck. But first, I need caffeine."


	2. Chapter 2

Lara had made her way back to her apartment about twenty minutes from the campus. The entire bus ride, Lara could not get Andy out of her mind. Gabby had shared with her some serious dark things about Andy that made Lara's heart break for the boy.

 _Back in the campus Library:_ "All through high school, Andy was different. He liked the older rock music and wasn't afraid to show it. He had the long hair, the eye liner, and the attitude. For some people, they just couldn't understand him. So instead, they bullied him." Gabby explained, sipping on her chai tea latte. Lara nodded her head slowly, absorbing the information.

"That must have been tough though. All that hate directed at one person?" Lara asked, rubbing her thumb against her own cup of latte. Gabby shrugged nonchalantly.

"I suppose. He left school before senior year. Obviously he had to have graduated seeing as he's here now. But last semester something was different about him. He ignored the taunts and comments about his style and music taste like always; but he had gotten meaner and quieter and no one really knew why. It wasn't until a few weeks ago at the new student orientation that an older kid taunted Andy and mentioned his parents being disappointed in him that it all made sense." Lara arched her eyebrows curiously and waited for the story.

Gabby sighed and lowered her voice so only Lara could barely hear. "Andy knocked the hell out of the kid. Andy started screaming that he wasn't a disappointment, that his parents were proud and that he'd dedicate everything to their memory. That's when everyone put the pieces together. The car accident we saw on the news during winter break had been Andy's parents. He was the only one to survive." Lara's heart sank as Gabby's eyes shone with sadness too. "Since then…he hasn't been the same."

"What was he like before?" Lara asked, her voice cracked with emotion. Gabby smirked and shook her head.

"He was fun. Always humming a tune in the hallways, always writing in a little black book. Always saw a funny side to everything. Even with the bullies, he had his friends and he had happiness. Then one day…poof." Gabby explained, sipping her latte. Lara smiled at the thought of a happy Andy and became more determined to bring him back.

"No one deserves to be sad forever. The fact that he's going through this alone though…that's even worse." Lara whispered to Gabby. Gabby set her latte down and motioned for Lara to come closer. She met her gaze and whispered to her over the table.

"I don't know what your obsession of making him happy is all about. I saw you earlier gazing at him. Is he really worth the trouble of helping?" Lara froze at the brutal honesty of Gabby's question.

"Everyone needs help sometimes. Even from someone you least expect." Gabby had a million questions in her eyes for Lara and she knew that she needed to be honest with her if this friendship was going anywhere. "Okay. I went through a really bad time before I came to UCLA. I went through it alone and it was ten times harder than it should have been. He doesn't have to be alone." Gabby analyzed Lara's sad eyes cautiously and waited for more of an explanation. "That's all you're getting from me for now." Gabby relented slightly and continued her sipping.

 _Back to present:_ Her cell phone rang suddenly as she deposited her jacket and purse on the small couch. Unknown caller appeared on her screen, but she answered anyway. "Hello?"

"Lara?" A deep voice sounded from the other end of the phone. "This is Andy, your partner for voice." He was quick to the point. "I got your cell number from Gabby. I saw her after you two met up for coffee in the library."

"Ah, okay Andy, what can I help you with?" Lara asked, curious as to why Gabby would give up her number to Andy.

"I wanted to apologize for my rude behavior earlier. It's not like me, I've been an asshole and angry recently and I directed it to you." Lara's eyes widened at his apology and said it was okay. "Anyway, sorry to disturb your night. Be ready to work tomorrow in class. Can't wait to hear what you got." And with that he hung up. Lara stared back at the phone and shook her head. This boy was going to be very interesting to work with.

The next morning, Dr. Feira had begun class on a high note. She had asked each one of her student what their favorite bands or artists were. Gabby had mentioned Bloc Party as her favorite among a few other people, Andy had mentioned Kiss as an inspiration and when it came to Lara, she drew a blank.

"Ms. Jewels? Any favorites?" Dr. Fiera asked. Lara looked around the room and saw expecting faces. "Lara?" Gabby elbowed Lara gently to bring her back to reality which worked.

"I cannot say that I have a favorite Dr. Fiera." Lara managed to say.

"Oh? And why is that I dare ask?" Dr. Fiera inquired, looking over her glasses curiously. Lara sighed heavily and thought of her answer.

"Each artist is unique. I like to take inspiration from each artist and apply it to my life. My music taste is varied but my themes are similar. That is why I don't have a favorite. There's so much out there to learn from." Lara thought for a moment that Dr. Feria was going to be upset at her round about answer, but she saw positive reinforcement from people nodding their heads around her; Andy and Gabby included.

"Very nicely put Ms. Jewels. I look forward to hearing your music." Dr. Feira smiled and went on to the next student. Lara exhaled to calm her nerves but saw Andy regarding her carefully. He pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen quickly. Lara's phone buzzed in her pocket and she read the message under her books. _Now I'm really curious as to what you can do._

After class, Andy waited for Lara by the water fountain. Gabby said goodbye to Lara as Andy approached them carefully. "Wanna kill an hour?" Lara asked pulling out her iPod. Andy caught on to her idea and shrugged his shoulders. "Pick a song." Andy narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment.

"Broken, by Seether." Lara smirked at Andy and nodded her head. "You know it?"

"I said my music taste is varied. You take Shaun Morgan's verses. I'll take Amy's and we'll end the song together. See how our voices mesh." The song started and Andy took the song and made it his own. He hoped that Lara could keep up. He doubted it for a second as he finished the first verse, but the moment Lara opened her lungs, his heart stopped. Her voice was perfect and deep and Andy couldn't speak. He almost missed his mark but meshed his voice with Lara's as the pair finished the duet. Lara blushed slightly and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"That was really good. I see why the professor paired us together." Lara smiled and pulled out her notebook. Andy had remained silent as he had no words to describe the beauty of this girl's voice. "Maye we can meet up a few times a week and work on some different songs?" Lara asked.

Andy shook his head back into reality. "Ummm, I don't normally hang out with school people outside of these walls." He mumbled, seeing Lara deflate slightly.

"Too bad Andy. I'm inviting myself over. Or you can come to my apartment. It's nothing fancy, but it's a roof over your head." Andy couldn't help but smile at Lara's eagerness to work together. "You can't get rid of me."

"Fine. I'll call you after class and we'll figure it out alright?" Lara smiled as Andy realized they were going to be late to voice. Walking to the class, Andy thought about the feeling Lara had created inside of him. It was as if her voice erased all the bad thoughts in his head and made his heart soft. He actually smiled at her too. What kind of magic did this girl have over him? Was she going to cause trouble for him? She doesn't even realize what baggage he carries. He didn't want to have this conversation with her, his parents, the accident, any of it. But he also didn't want to push her away even if every fiber in his being was telling him to.

They sat down in their respective seats before class and Andy couldn't help but look over at Lara. Her dark hair was hanging over her shoulders as she moved it out of her eyes. Her eyes shone over to him with a sparkle of excitement in her green pools. Those emerald eyes would be the death of him and he knew it, but he didn't care.


End file.
